Hand Lay-up, Spray-up,

Vacuum Bag and Autoclave

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Seksak Asavavisithchai

Department of Metallurgical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
Chulalongkorn University
E-mail: seksak.a@chula.ac.th
Hand Lay-up
 Hand Lay-up
 Hand lay-up is the simplest and oldest open molding method of the composite
fabrication processes.
 It is a low volume, labor intensive method suited especially for large
components, such as boat hulls.
 It is a process wherein the application of resin and reinforcement is done by hand
onto a suitable mold surface. The resulting laminate is allowed to cure in place
without further treatment
 Hand Lay-up
 Glass or other reinforcing mat or woven fabric or roving is positioned
manually in the open mold, and resin is poured, brushed, or sprayed over
and into the glass plies.
 Entrapped air is removed manually with squeegees or rollers to complete
the laminates structure.
 Room temperature curing polyesters and epoxies are the most commonly
used matrix resins.
 Curing is initiated by a catalyst in the resin system, which hardens the
fiber reinforced resin composite without external heat.
Hand Lay-up Process
Hand Lay-up Process
Hand Lay-up Process
Hand Lay-up
 Mold/Tool Preparation
 Procedure to some degree dependent on:
 Tooling material
 Whether tool is being used in first cycle or subsequent cycle
 Clean tool
 Scotch brite pad
 Wipe with a clean cloth dampened with solvent (i.e. acetone)
 Mold release agents
 Waxes (carnuba-based)
 Spray releases
 Release films
 Internal releases (added to gel coat or resin system)
Male and Female Tooling
Male and Female Molds
 Preimpregnated Materials (PREPREGS)
 Reinforcements impregnated with predetermined amounts of uniformly
distributed resin.
 Processed to obtain optimum handling characteristics and reproducible
cured laminate properties.
 Thermoset and thermoplastic resin systems
 Reinforcing fiber
 E-glass, s-glass, aramid, carbon/graphite
 Unidirectional tape, woven fabric
 Hand Lay-up of PrePregs
 Mold preparation
 Ply (PREPREG) cutting (and kitting)
 Film adhesive may be used against mold surface
 Ply is laid on mold using hand pressure, squeegee, and/or roller and carrier
film is removed
 Heat gun may be used to improve tack
 Debulking (interim compactions)
 Process materials and sequence is similar to wet lay-up
 Cure
 Autoclave (applies heat and pressure)
 Cure cycle:
 Temperature and pressure

 Ramp rates

 Holds
 Products Made by Hand Lay-Up
 Generally large in size but low in production quantity - not economical
for high production
 Applications: boat hulls, bathtubs, swimming pools, large container
tanks, movie and stage props, furniture components, and other formed
sheets
 Advantages
1. Widely used for many years.
2. Simple principles to teach.
3. Low cost tooling, if room-temperature cure resins are used.
4. Wide choice of suppliers and material types.
5. Higher fiber contents, and longer fibres than with spray lay-up
6. Versatile: wide range of products
 Disadvantages
1. Resin mixing, laminate resin contents, and laminate quality are very
dependent on the skills of laminators. Low resin content laminates cannot
usually be achieved without the incorporation of excessive quantities of
voids.
2. Health and safety considerations of resins. The lower molecular weights of
hand lay-up resins generally means that they have the potential to be more
harmful than higher molecular weight products. The lower viscosity of the
resins also means that they have an increased tendency to penetrate
clothing etc.
3. Limiting airborne styrene concentrations to legislated levels from
polyesters and vinylesters is becoming increasingly hard without expensive
extraction systems.
4. Resins need to be low in viscosity to be workable by hand. This generally
compromises their mechanical/thermal properties due to the need for high
diluent/styrene levels.
5. Disorientation of fibers, inconsistency, and easy to form air bubbles
Spray-up
 Spray-up
 Spray-up is an open mold method that can produce complex parts more
economically than hand lay-up.
 Chopped fiberglass reinforcement and catalyzed resin, and in some cases,
filler materials, are deposited on the mold surface from a combination
chopper/spray gun.
 Rollers or squeegees are used to manually remove entrapped air and work
the resin into the reinforcements
 Woven fabric or woven roving is often added in specific areas for greater
strength.
 General purpose, room temperature cure polyesters are usually used to
produce such parts as truck camper shells and tub & shower stalls.
 As in hand lay-up, gel coats are used to produce a high quality colored part
surface.
Spray-up Process
 Spray-up Process
 One or more continuous fiber rovings fed through a chopper
 Fiber rovings are cut to predetermined lengths
 Chopped fibers are propelled into resin stream
 Resin and chopped fibers are deposited simultaneously on mold
 Rolled by hand with serrated rollers
 “Automated wet lay-up" (however fibers not continuous)
Spray-up Process
Spray-up Process
Spray-up Process
Spray-up Process
Spray-up Process
Spray Gun
 Spray-up System Components
 Pumps for resin and/or catalyst
 Pressure pots for catalysts
 Pressure pots for flushing solvents
 Chopper for fiber reinforcement
 Various air regulators and gauges for control
 Boom and dolly assembly or chassis
 Various hoses for transporting materials
 Gun assembly for dispersing materials
 Compressed air source
Summary of Spray-up Method
Vacuum Bag
 Vacuum Bagging
 Vacuum bag
 Used to contain any vacuum pressure applied
 Application of the vacuum bag extremely critical
 Bag perforation must be prevented

 No sharp edges on tool

 Properly sealed on edge

 No bridging (requires folds in bag)

 Folds must be properly made or undesirable wrinkles may occur in

part
 Bag sealant tape
 Vacuum valves, hoses and source
Vacuum Bagging Process
Vacuum Bagging Process
Vacuum Bagging Process
Vacuum Bag
 Peel Ply
 Placed immediately on top of or under the composite laminate
 Removed just before bonding or painting operations to provide clean,
bondable surface
 Woven fabric (nylon, polyester, or fiberglass) treated with nontransferable
release agent
 Separator (Release Film)
 Placed on top of or under the laminate and peel ply (if used)
 Allows volatiles to escape from laminate and excess resin to be bled from
the laminate into the bleeder plies during cure
 Porous or perforated
 Spacing of perforations or porosity of the material determines the amount
of resin flow from the surface of the laminate
 Bleeder
 Absorb excess resin from the laminate during cure (resulting in desired
fiber volume)
 Fiberglass fabric or other absorbent materials or fabrics are used
 Amount of bleeder used is a function of
 Absorbency of material
 Resin content
 Finished part fiber volume desired
 Barrier
 Between bleeder plies and breather
 Frequently nonperforated, nonadhering (release) film
 Resins which produce volatile by-products during cure (must be vented)
use a film with small perforations and large spacing to prevent the breather
from becoming clogged with resin
 Breather
 On top of barrier film to allow uniform application of vacuum pressure
over the laminate and removal of entrapped air or volatiles during cure
 Drapable, loosely woven fabric, or felt
 Caul Plates
 Steel, aluminum
 Used to maintain same heating and cooling rate as mold
 More uniform application of pressure
 Ensure a smooth, non-wavy surface
 Dam
 Located peripherally to minimize edge bleeding
 May be integral part of tool or rubber, metal bars, etc.
Vacuum Bagging Process
Vacuum Bagging
 Vacuum Bagging Problems
 Labor intensive
 Inconsistent performance
 Trapped air/volatiles
 Controlling bleed
 Poor heat transfer
 Consumes expensive materials
 Wrinkles
 Loss of seal
 Inadequate pressure transmission
Alternate Resin Bleed Paths
Use of Rubber Pad to Prevent Bridging
Autoclave
 Autoclave
 Autoclave molding is a modification of pressure-bag and vacuum-bag
molding.
 This advanced composite process produces denser, void free moldings
because higher heat and pressure are used for curing.
 It is the most widely used in the aerospace industry to fabricate high
strength/weight ratio parts from preimpregnated high strength fibers for
aircraft, spacecraft and missiles.
 Autoclaves are essentially heated pressure vessels usually equipped with
vacuum systems into which the bagged lay-up on the mold is taken for the
cure cycle.
 Curing pressures are generally in the range of 50 to 100 psi and cure cycles
normally involve many hours.
 The method accommodates higher temperature matrix resins such as
epoxies, having higher properties than conventional resins.
 Autoclave size limits part size.
Autoclave Process
Principle of Autoclave Curing
Autoclave
 Autoclave
 Autoclaves work on the principle of differential gas pressure.
 Disadvantages of autoclave:
 The size of autoclave
 Large initial capital investment
 An autoclave can accommodate a single large composite part (e.g. a large
wing skin) or numerous smaller parts (on racks, cured as a batch)
 Autoclave processing represents a culmination of all performed
manufacturing operations, because final part quality is often determined
during this operation.
 Autoclaves are normally pressurized with inert gas (N2 or CO2).
 Circulation of gas in an autoclave:
 The gas is circulated by a large fan at the rear of the vessel and passes
down the walls next to a shroud containing the heater banks.
 The heated gas strikes the front door and then flows back down the
center of the vessel to heat the part.
 Curing of Composites
• A typical cure cycle contains two ramps and two isothermal holds.
• The first ramp and isothermal hold (240-280F)  Allow the resin to
flow (bleed) and volatiles to escape
• The second ramp and isothermal hold (340-370F)  Polymerisation
portion of the cure cycle
• High pressures are commonly used during autoclave processing.  Ply
compaction and suppression of void formation
• The pressure differential between the autoclave environment and the
vacuum bag interior  Gas pressure transfer to the laminate of composite
Typical Autoclave Cure Cycle
Typical Autoclave Cure Cycle
 Autoclave Process Sequence
1. Prepare plies
2. Stack plies in tool
3. Add dry material to absorb excess resin & remove volatiles
4. Apply vacuum bag & cure in autoclave
5. Oven postcure for environmental durability
6. Trim
7. Inspect
8. Assemble
Typical Production Autoclave Schematic
Autoclave
Autoclave
Autoclave
Autoclave
Autoclave
Composites Made without Autoclaves
Example of Components Made Using Autoclave
Autoclave Features
Autoclave Features
Thank You for Your Attention